Friday, March 9, 2012

Principles versus Tactics

In order to know what you want to do (or are willing to do) in a given situation, you need to know which aspects of your strategy for doing it are absolutely non-negotiable, and which aspects are subject to flexibility. Which aspects are you not willing to compromise? And which aspects will you have to adapt to your abilities, resources, and practicality? Ask any "sheepdog" about their willingness to step up and help others, and he or she will tell you that there are just certain things in our lives that are non-negotiable.

One of the important things I have learned in my recent tactical firearms skills training at Makhaira Group is the concept of principles versus tactics. A principle, as our instructor drilled into us over and over, is something that you are absolutely not willing to negotiate. It is the “what” of your belief system. Tactics, on the other hand, are the “how” of your strategy to adhere to that belief system, the specifics of which may vary from time to time, but they still enable you to adhere to your principles. These are the “enabling objectives,” if you will.

The fact that I must eat to survive is an example of a principle. But when I go to the cafeteria to eat, I am free to pick and choose what specific items I want to eat at that particular time. But there is no more appropriate a place to discuss principles and tactics, in my opinion, than in the realm of self-defense and the defense of your family and others.

prin·ci·ple

/ˈprɪnsəpəl/[prin-suh-puhl]

noun

an
accepted
or
professed
rule
of
action
or
conduct:
a
person
of
good
moral
principles.

a
fundamental,
primary,
or
general
law
or
truth
fromwhichothers
are
derived.

a
fundamental
doctrine
or
tenet;
a
distinctive
ruling
opinion.

principles,
a
personal
or
specific
basis
of
conduct
or
management:
to
adhere
to
one's
principles.

a
plan,
procedure,
or
expedient
for
promoting
a
desired
end
or
result.

Here’s an example of a self-defense principle and its accompanying tactics:

Principle: I will provide multiple layers of protection for my home and family against criminal invasions.

Tactics: An alarm system, a big dog, strong door locking hardware, and firearms in the hands of a proficient home owner, are all things that I might employ to provide my home protection.

Explanation: The fact that I will protect my home and my family from criminal invasion or attack is not open for discussion. It is non-negotiable. And I don’t care what any one else's opinion is about whether or not I should be doing this. But how I do it is a matter of which tools I wish to employ, and may be based on my personal preferences and/or the opinions and experiences of others.

Let’s take the above tactics one at a time:

The alarm system: What if I don’t want, or can’t afford the alarm hardware and the monthly fees? What if I am renting and the home owner will not allow me to install an alarm system on the premises? I can get simple alarm-like devices that make a loud noise when a door or window is opened, and mimics an alarm system. I can post alarm signs in my yard that warn potential intruders that I have an alarm system installed. The criminals don’t know the difference. Criminals will select the easiest targets. If your home offers even a hint of being more difficult to break into, they will move on to an easier target. That psychological effect in and of itself is yet another tactic that I can employ.

The dog: What if I am allergic to dogs or just don’t want the responsibility? What if my present dog is a small dog and I don’t want a larger one? I can still put large dog bowls in plain view. Anyone who looks in my windows sees a set of large dog bowls, but has no idea whether or not I have a dog, or what kind it is. I can also get a motion detecting device that lets out a loud dog bark if anyone approaches the house. Again: criminals will select the easiest targets. If your home offers even a hint of being more difficult to break into, they will move on to an easier target.

Door hardware: Do I use a deadbolt that requires a key on both sides, or one with a key-less knob on the inside? Do I also augment that with a hidden chain lock? I didn’t say how many or what brand. You can put 15 deadbolts on each side of your doors if you want. But honestly, this is one place not to skimp. Get good locks, install longer screws in the hinges and strike plates, and keep the doors locked at all times. This is a simple tactic to employ.

Firearms: I may choose to use a shotgun for home defense today, but decide to use an AR-15 tomorrow. Someone else may choose a handgun for their home defense. I choose to keep my home defense firearms loaded all the time, but the state you live in may not allow that. Your tactics for deploying will then be different. But in choosing that a firearm is part of my tactics, I also know that the choices are virtually unlimited.

There are still other tactics not mentioned here that I can choose, or I may choose not to employ some of the above. But the important thing here is that you know what principles you are not willing to negotiate, and what tactics you select to meet those principles. Principles helped found our country, and tactics helped win the wars. Stick to your principles and don’t allow others to force you to compromise.

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About The Gonz

ATCS(AW) USN (Ret), "The Gonz" is a Cyber-Security Operations Supervisor by day, and a 2nd Amendment/Gun Rights Activist and disaster preparedness enthusiast the rest of the time. He is a native Coloradoan, living in Fort Collins, Colorado. American Citizens have the absolute and God Given right to self-defense, as outlined in the US Constitution and 2nd Amendment. The 2nd Amendment is not about duck hunting. It is about law abiding citizens protecting themselves from tyranny and the deeds of evil people. Decent people deserve to have their rights protected, and they have the responsibility to voice their opposition when they see their rights being infringed upon.

There is a lot of evil in the world today, and the bad guys do not obey the laws or care who they harm. The Supreme Court has made it clear that the police have no responsibility for our safety as individuals, but many politicians are so bent on taking away our means of self-defense.

So for these reasons, The Gonz has chosen to use this blog as a vehicle to be outspoken about our rights and responsibilities. As for the rest of society, they can just mind their own business and stay out of our way.

"The Gonz" is an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor, and an NRA Certified Range Safety Officer, with several years of advanced tactical firearms and emergency preparedness training. Certified CERT Instructor and a member of the Fort Collins CERT Team. Certified Law Enforcement AR-15/M-16/M-4A1 Armorer.